# McClelland – Deep Hollow



## Nick S. (Jul 10, 2011)

McClelland - Deep Hollow
From the tin:_ "Far into the woods, away from the urban cacophony, is where this lightly fragrant blend of rich red and black stoved Virginias is designed to transport you. Relax and enjoy the moment." _

In The Tin/Pouch
This is a ribbon cut tobacco that ranges from dark brown to black in color. The smell reminds me a bit of maple and brown sugar, along with a hint of the McClelland acidic aroma. The tobacco almost has a shine to it, most likely from the topping, and is a tad moist but not as moist as you might expect. In my opinion it does need a bit of drying time to get to the best smoking condition.

The Burn
Honestly, it did seem to take a bit more than I am used to to get it fully lit, but it certainly wasn't the most difficult to light ether. I did find it necessary to run a pipe cleaner down the pipe about halfway through the bowl to soak up excess moisture, but that really isn't that big of a deal.

The Smoke
This is what I would call a semi aromatic, and as such the smoke is sweet, it is not heavily flavored like most aromatics, but there is defiantly an added flavoring. The flavor is a bit difficult to put my finger on, but it reminds me a bit of caramel, just not as sweet. The red Virginias give this tobacco a nice backbone, and make a more substantial smoke than you might think. I didn't have any problem with biter from it, but as it is a Virginia I wouldn't abuse it too much or you might regret it.

The Packaging, and Price
This tobacco is sold in 50 and 100 gram cans from most of the larger online retailers. Sites such as www.smokingpipes.com sell it for $8.27 or $14.11 for the 50 or 100 gram cans.

The Bottom Line
The flavor isn't overpowering and I think it makes a nice change of pace every once and a while. This is not that bad, it didn't knock my socks off, but it is something I will probably keep a can or two of on hand.

My Other Reviews
A tour of drug store blends, stop one: John Middleton's Carter Hall
A tour of drug store blends, stop two: John Middleton's Prince Albert
A tour of drug store blends, stop three: Pinkerton Tobacco Company - Granger
A tour of drug store blends, stop four: Lane Limited - Captain Black Regular (White)
A tour of drug store blends, stop five: Lane Limited - Captain Black Gold
A tour of drug store blends, stop six: John Middleton's Sugar Barrel
Ogden's of Liverpool - St. Bruno Ready Rubbed
Orlik - Golden Sliced
GL Pease - Lagonda
Peterson - Irish Flake
Gawith Hoggarth & Co. - Brown Bogie
Gawith Hoggarth & Co. - Kendal Kentucky
Gawith Hoggarth & Co. - Dark Bird's Eye
Gawith Hoggarth & Co. - Bob's Chocolate Flake
McClelland - Bulk #805 Carolina Deluxe
McClelland - Holiday Spirit
Peter Stokkebye - Cube Cut
Peter Stokkebye - English Luxury
Peter Stokkebye - Luxury Twist Flake
Peter Stokkebye - Luxury Navy Flake
Rattray's - Black Mallory (aged 12 years)
Mac Baren - Virginia Flake
Lane Limited - Bulk #101 BCA
Lane Limited - Bulk #102 1Q
Lane Limited - Bulk #182 BLWB
Dan Tobacco - Blue Note


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## doctorthoss (Jun 28, 2010)

Very nice review of a pretty good blend.


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## mmiller (Nov 17, 2011)

Great review Nick! Your reviews are always so detailed you can practically see and smoke the tobacco in your mind :lol:


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## prole (Feb 15, 2012)

Thanks for the succinct and effective review. I just grabbed a tin of this a few days ago, wanting to try more in the Craftsbury series after falling hard for FMO and FMOTT. On tobaccoreviews, there seems to be two schools. One is that this is a disgusting aro and one that this is a nice and smooth VA. I'm more toward the latter.

Nice, thick, creamy smoke with just a touch of maple/apple sweetness. My first bowl was a little tough to keep lit but after leaving the tin open over night and always making sure to dry a bowl's worth out on a paper towel for 30 min or so before smoking, it's been very easy to light. I'm going to stick with this blend to develop cake in my two newest pipes before dedicating one to Frog Morton series and then decide what to do with the other.

Cheers,
James


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## indigosmoke (Sep 1, 2009)

James,

If you like Deep Hollow you've got to try Grey Havens. It's one of my favorites. Very similar to Deep Hollow in a way, but with a slightly different topping and a slight bit of spice from the perique. It ages wonderfully. PM me your address. I send you a sample to try.


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## prole (Feb 15, 2012)

Will do, John, GH sounds awesome. Is that what a 'VAPer' is?

Edit: Looks like I'm still on probation, no PMs yet. Thanks for the very kind offer, I'll take you up on that when I've got my time in.


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## indigosmoke (Sep 1, 2009)

Sounds good, James. I guess Gray Havens would be called a VAPerBur as it has VAs, Perique and Burley. It's not typically thought of as a traditional VaPer such as Escudo or something like that, as it's one of those tobaccos that is very had to characterise. There isn't much out there exactly like it, although it's one of my very favorites. Hit me up when you reach the PM limit. I always have a tin open so I can send you some to try.


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